What kind of pear is the Petit Doyenne? An introduction to its variety characteristics

Aliases: May Fresh, June Pear. A French variety, the fruit ripens extremely early. There is a small amount of cultivation in Luda, Liaoning; Zhengzhou, Henan; Shijiazhuang, Hebei; Gansu; and various places in southwest China, and trial plantings have been introduced in Beijing, Jiangsu, Inner Mongolia and other provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions).

The fruit is small, with an average single-fruit weight of 45-80 grams, and the largest can reach 90.5 grams. The fruit is obovate or short gourd-shaped, the skin is yellow-green, the surface is smooth with a waxy luster, and there are ridge-like protrusions; the fruit dots are small, numerous and inconspicuous. The fruit stalk is 4.9 cm long and swells near the fruit; the stalk cavity is inconspicuous and often protrudes on one side. The calyx is persistent, small; the calyx cavity is shallow and broad, with wrinkles. The core is medium-large, with 5-7 locules. The flesh is milky white, fairly fine in texture, crisp and edible when freshly harvested, and softens after 4-5 days of ripening; the taste is sweet-sour, very juicy, with a slight fragrance, and the quality is above average. It contains 14%-16.2% soluble solids, comparable to peaches. In Xingcheng, Liaoning, the fruit is harvested in mid-July, making it an excellent extremely early-ripening variety. The fruit does not store well and can be kept for 10-15 days. The fruit is mainly used for fresh eating.

Young trees are slightly vigorous in growth; mature trees are moderate in growth. Budding ability is extremely strong, with a budbreak rate of 87.8%. Branching ability is weak, and generally only 1-2 long shoots grow below the pruning cut. A 10-year-old tree is 4 m tall, with a trunk circumference of 30.5 cm and a crown diameter of 1.55 m x 1.7 m. The age at which it begins bearing is mid-to-late; generally it begins bearing 4-5 years after planting. On mature trees, all types of fruiting branches can bear fruit, but short fruiting branches predominate. According to surveys, short fruiting branches account for 59.21%, medium fruiting branches 15.79%, and long fruiting branches 25%. The spur branches have a fairly strong ability to bear fruit continuously, and short fruiting branches live relatively long, generally lasting 5-6 years. Each cluster usually sets 3-4 fruits; with proper management, it can produce high yields year after year, and in full bearing the yield is about 125 kg per tree. There is pre-harvest fruit drop. In Xingcheng, Liaoning, flower buds break in mid-to-late April, first flowering is in early May, full bloom is in early-to-mid May, and flowering ends in mid-May. The fruit is harvested in mid-July, and leaves fall in early November. The fruit development period is 63 days, and the vegetative growth period is 203 days.

Pollinizer varieties: Bartlett pear, Clapp's Favorite pear.

This variety has fairly strong adaptability and is best cultivated on sandy loam; its cold resistance, drought resistance and wind resistance are all fairly strong. Its resistance to pear canker is poor, but stronger than that of Bartlett pear, and it is lightly damaged by fruit borers; it is an excellent extremely early-ripening variety that can supply the market early and is deeply welcomed by consumers, with high commercial value. Its only drawbacks are that the fruit is rather small and does not keep well, so it can be developed on a small scale in suburban areas and industrial and mining areas.